Monday, October 01, 2007

The most talked about deleted sequences revolve around the "Worm" subplot. This involves five characters from the film:
Marcie
Her Husband (The Dead Guy in the Closet)
The Worm (Marcie's Son)
Dixon (Worm's Son/Marcie's Grandson)
Stanley Spector
Dixon was featured prominently in the teaser trailer ("I'm Dixon") & this subplot was included in the preview screening done in Australia in late August 1999 & Fall 1999 in New York (critics screenings).

Here are some of PTA's comments on why it was cut out:
"there was more of that, and I took it out, but here's the thing. I stand by the fact that it does function really well the way it is now. It is the most truncated and elliptical bit of the movie, but I thank God that there is something truncated and elliptical in the movie, which does pretty much hit its points. The movie needs something that has mystery, and this one is sort of a representation of spending a couple of days in the Valley: that's how much color would come into your life."
Courtesy of Nitrate Online - Cynthia Fuchs - 1/7/00

Here's the complete script excerpt. As you know, Magnolia is constantly switching back & forth between the various plots & characters. To make things easier, I've combined all the various segments below (with a quick description of where they fit in the movie).

(After Kurring loses gun, during
Partridge's monologue)

INT. HOLDING ROOM - THAT MOMENT

CAMERA pushes in on Marcie. She's crying and looking down.
She lifts her head, speaks to an UNSEEN OFFICER nearby, guarding
her cell;

MARCIE
I wanna confess what I've done.

(Frank meets Phil right before his "reunion" with
Earl)

INT. LAMPLIGHTER - THAT MOMENT

CAMERA with Stanley, sitting alone in a booth with a Coke and a cookie.
He's reading a book. BEAT, HOLD, THEN:

CAMERA pans/dollies away and booms up -- moving across the
restaurant -- across the way, sitting in a booth by the opposite
window, out of view from Stanley;

Dixon, the little kid from earlier, sitting in a booth with a
young black male, WORM (20s) This is clearly the back figure
we've been seeing glimpses of --

Then he gets out, walks back across parking lot...and into the
concealed parked car he came from –

(Jimmy confesses to Rose)

INT. LAMPLIGHTER - THAT MOMENT

Through the window, the AMBULANCE passes in the b.g., heading
nearby...and OC we hear the siren throughout scene;

Stanley looks up at Worm, who's crying harder now, they make
another moment of eye contact. BEAT, THEN:

WORM
Hi.

STANLEY
Hi.

WORM
..sorry...

STANLEY
It's ok.

BEAT.

STANLEY
Are you alright?

Worm looks up.

(Frank with Earl on his deathbed)

INT. LAMPLIGHTER - THAT MOMENT

Worm is in tears, talking to Stanley. SLOW ZOOM IN.

WORM
....you have it...easy....you know?
You have a father who loves you, huh?

STANLEY
Yes.

WORM
You know what it's like to come home
scared, scared that maybe if you don't
have the money you're supposed to
go out each day and get that you're gonna
get beaten....by a belt...he hits me
with a belt, Stanley....

(beat)

I'm supposed to sell those candy bars,
and if I don't, I come home without
the money....

STANLEY
....Why does he do it...?

WORM
Cause he hates me....he hates me so much.

STANLEY
It's not right.

WORM
I hate it.

CU - Worm. He hesitates...looks at Stanley and says:

WORM
I'm sorry to put all this on you, Stanley --

STANLEY
I have money.

WORM
...what...?

STANLEY
I have money to give you.

WORM
No. No. I have to do this on my own.

STANLEY
I can take you to get money. I don't
need it...I don't need it -- listen to me:
I can let you have money so your father
won't hit you ever again -- you'll have the
money because I don't need it.

CAMERA pushes in a little on Worm, he looks up. 30fps.

WORM
Where do you have it?

CAMERA holds 2-shot, looking out the window onto the street.
We PUSH PAST THEM AND THROUGH THE WINDOW, picking up with
a YELLOW CAB as it drives by, PAN with it....

CAMERA holds a wide angle on the Lamplighter Coffee Shop.
Frogs falling from sky onto and around the streets....

CUT TO:

EXT. THE SKY - THAT MOMENT

CAMERA up with the Falling Frogs....CAMERA is moving down with them...
it becomes almost musical....like Busby-Berkely-style choreography of
Frogs That Fall In The Sky...

MUSIC/KERMIT THE FROG
"It's not that easy bein' green...
Having to spend each day the color
of the leaves..."

EXT. EMPTY PARKING LOT AREA - DAWN

CU - Dixon as he gets into the old beat up car with Worm.
Their call pulls away and drives off. Dixon looks at Linda's Mercedes
which is still parked way across the lot -- they exit FRAME.

CUT TO:

EXT. MAGNOLIA - DAWN

Worm's car drives down the street. LONG LENS. ANGLE, at the car,
Dixon leans up and out the window a bit....he's got the gun wrapped
in newspaper, taking the fingerprints from the gun....he throws
the POLICE ISSUED WEAPON from the speeding car...

CUT TO:

INT. LAMPLIGHTER - DAWN

Stanley sits in the back of a squad car....an OFFICER watching
him...probably supposed to be comforting him, but instead drinking
coffee, chatting with other OFFICERS questioning the coffee shop
employees --

(Right after Earl's body is taken away)

INT. POLICE STATION - MARCIE

Marcie looking down at the table in front of her, tape recorder
and microphone in front of her, (and all that goes along w/full
confession/etc.)

MARCIE
I killed him. I killed my husband.
He hit my son and he hit my grandson
and I hit him. I hit him with the ashtray
and he was knocked out and I killed him,
I strangled him. I strangled my husband
to protect my boys. I protected my boys.

A much different, less angry version than what appeared on screen (which isn't nearly as dramatic). This is presented together (the scene would have appeared cut up in the film as it jumps from different storylines).

INT. EARL'S HOUSE - THAT MOMENT

Frank and Phil stand in the foyer. They're quiet a moment, then:

FRANK
So....Phil....um...I think I'm gonna
step in and try and see him and say
something if he can...talk...I mean:

PHIL
...ok...

FRANK
Can you stand...back...maybe, I mean...
just a little bit...in the room is
ok, but back from us a little...

PHIL
yeah.

Frank walks slowly into the Living Room and over to Earl's
bedside. He's holding back his tears. He sits. Earl
is eyes closed, breathing a bit irregular....HOLD.

The DOGS go crazy barking.Phil walks away from Earl and answers
the door.Frank standing there.Phil looks a bit surprised and
fumbles a moment...They stand in doorway and speak very quietly;

PHIL
Hello.Frank.Frank TJ Mackey.

FRANK
...are you Phil...?

PHIL
Yeah. I was trying to get in touch
with you.We got disconnected.

FRANK
I got your message.That you were
trying to get me -- right?

PHIL
Yes.I didn't know how to find you.
Earl asked me, so I looked through
the address books and there was no number,
nothing --

FRANK
Is Linda here?

PHIL
She's not here, she went out.
I'm sorry.This is all just so,
I don't know what, what to do -- your
Dad asked me to try and track you down.
To get you and I did, I called the number --
Do you wanna come in?

FRANK
Yeah let's...maybe just stand.

PHIL
These Dogs'll calm down -- you just
have to come in --

He steps in the door and the dogs start to settle down a bit.

PHIL
He's in here.

FRANK
Let's just wait one minute and stay here, okay?

PHIL
Ok.

BEAT.They stand in the foyer and the dogs eventually calm down
and go away.BEAT.

FRANK
How long have you taken care of him?

PHIL
For six months.I'm the day nurse...

FRANK
Uh-huh.What's going on?

PHIL
He's...I'm sorry...so sorry...I've seen
this before, you know and you don't....
He's going very fast....Frank...um....

FRANK
Is he in pain?

PHIL
I just...he was...but I gave him,
I just had to give him a small dose of
liquid morphine.He hasn't been able to
swallow the morphine pills so we now,
I just had to go to the liquid morphine...
For the pain, you understand?

CAMERA DOLLIES AROUND a young GIRL (20s) on the phone.
GIRL
That sounds like fun, Frank.
I love seafood.
CUT TO:
INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHTFrank on the phone.
FRANK
So I'll see you about 7:30?
Great, then.Bye-bye, Cindy.
He hangs up.
CUT TO:

INT. GIRL'S HOUSE - ANOTHER NIGHTCAMERA (HAND HELD) follows behind the GIRL as she walks from the kitchen
to the front door, shaking her head, huffing and puffing....
FRANK (VO)
You wait until about nine o'clock
and you ring the doorbell.
She opens the door and sees FRANK, crying and hysterical.
FRANK (VO)
She opens it up, pissed as hell, but
finds you sobbing your eyes out --
Frank looks up at her and says:
FRANK
...I can't believe what happened...
Frank and the Girl sit down on the couch together.
FRANK (VO)
You explain between sobs that you hit
a dog on the way over to pick her up
and you had to rush it to the animal
hospital but by the time you got there --
FRANK
...and it's paw was sticking out...
and it was too late.It was too late.
She moves in and hugs him.
GIRL
Ohhh, shhhh...shhh...Frank...
CUT TO:
INT. HOLIDAY INN/BANQUET ROOM - THAT MOMENTFrank is cracking himself up.He continues.
FRANK
I can't believe I'm telling you guys this,
but the truly terrifying part is that: THIS WORKS.
Any girl that calls herself your friend is not
gonna let you be alone in a situation like that.
Technique #2: Staging a fight.
This is not knock down, drag out, crying
screaming, yelling -- this is a simple,
direct and subtle way of planting confusion
into a girl's mind.Remember we are using
reinforcement technique "G" with these women.
Here's how:

CUT TO:

INT. GIRL'S HOUSE - NIGHTThe Girl picks up her phone and presses some numbers...
FRANK (VO)
One day, she calls you up on the phone...
CUT TO:
INT. FRANK'S HOUSE - NIGHTFrank picks up the phone.
FRANK
Hello?

GIRL
Hey, Frank.It's Cindy.I'm wondering
if you wanna grab a bite and see a movie?

FRANK (VO)
You very directly say:
FRANK
"I don't think I have anything to say
to you, Cindy."
Frank hangs up the phone.
CUT TO:
INT. GIRL'S HOUSE - THAT MOMENTThe Girl gets the dial tone.She looks completely confused and hurt.
CUT TO:
INT. HOLIDAY INN/BANQUET ROOM - BACK TO SCENEFrank speaking to the group:
FRANK
Let her wonder what she did wrong.
CAMERA DOES A SLOW DOLLY IN.Frank's tone changes a bit, gets darker:

FRANK
This is the way...because they will
always wonder, "What did I do?"
"What could I have done different?"
"How should I behave to get this back?"
And if they think that way -- then they
are asking for you to hurt them and
That Is What You Must Do.That is what
you must do which is punish them many,
many times over.